Keene, NH Antique Show

Set up at a small antique show sponsored by the Kiwanis in Keene, NH. They did a great job organizing the show; not much business there, but a nice weekend.

Eastern Maine Rail in Wiscasset

The railroad runs excursions during the tourist season, from Brunswick to Rockland, with a stop in Wiscasset. The mid-20th century locomotive and passenger cars have a great retro look; you expect the Andrews Sisters to get off when the train stops.

I was out with the dogs, and had my camera handy; not used to using it for video, and someone was pulling on the leash a bit too hard at the end of this clip.

New computer

In addition to going back and forth to Maine, among other tasks, I have been going through the migration to a new computer. Not as bad a project as it might have been, finally am back on line.

Currier Gallery, Manchester New Hampshire

We had not been to the Currier Gallery of Art in Manchester, NH since their most recent expansion project. A watercolor show was about to end, so that was the impetus.

A fine small museum, with a collection focusing on American art, including decorative arts, the expansion has provided them with a new winter garden/cafe, and has allowed much of the art to be installed more effectively. One gallery has paintings hung in a "salon installation", in the manner of the nineteenth century. In the center of the gallery is "Nydia, the Blind Flower Girl of Pompeii" from 1863, by Randolph Rogers. While I am not that fond of sculpture, especially such sentimental pieces, I found it engaging (perhaps because of the installation).

Probably my favorite painting in the collection is "Carnation and Black , 1892, an oil on canvas by Joseph Rodefer DeCamp. The pose and coloring are so striking, that it feels contemporary more than one hundred years after it was painted.

Visit http://www.currier.org/ for more about this museum.

Glass Transfer "Varnished" Prints

I purchased this primarily for the frame, and when I got it home realized that it was a fairly good example of glass transfer of a print (I always called these "varnished prints" - I don't know if I saw the term somewhere or if that just came out of my head).

Basically, these were done by varnishing a print to the glass, removing most of the paper, and coloring/painting to add the color. The effect is of a reverse glass painting, or in this case, a faux painting on porcelain. I have seen many of these from the late 18th century, and this one I would date to approximately 1845 based on the lady's clothing and the frame.

Many of the earlier ones appear quite dark, as the varnish browned with age (and of course, many simply got broken, or replaced with something else if the varnished degraded to the point that the image was no longer attractive.

Here is a link to the blog on the website of The Philadelphia Print Shop, Ltd., in Philadelphia, where one of the owners discusses this art form:

http://antiqueprintsblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/glass-transfer-painting.html

Wayside Inn Antiques Show

On Sunday I went to the antiques show held at the historic Wayside Inn in Sudbury, MA. Perfect weather, the antique cars parked outside the entrance lent additional elegance, and the exhibitors provided what looked like a New York City antiques show magically transported to a tent (but what a tent!) in a country field.

In spite of the many extraordinary and fine items available, "Best in Show" went to Royal, who was tending the booth for Elle Shushan (http://www.portraitminiatures.com/). So calm and dignified, I first thought she was a statue placed on the hearth.

Spring Comes to Wiscasset

We spent a few days in Wiscasset, Maine, opening up the house for the season. It always seems to be a miracle, that just as spring always returns, the house survives another Maine winter.

So now water is turned on, plumbing and heating work, and we began cleanup outside (for such a tiny in-town lot, it does take a while to do the yard work).

More about our house in Wiscasset at www.forthillstudios.com/Wiscasset/Wiscasset.htm.